The Cup. Barcelona – Athletic Bilbao. A chance for Barcelona to win a trophy, but the opposition was not to be underestimated. It was tough final, decided by tiny margin, just like the championship was – Athletic prevailed 1-0.
Empty-handed…the previous season Barcelona at least won the Cup. This year – nothing. Coming close and losing at the end, a tragedy. Which pretty much spelled out the end of Maradona: he was brought to win and he was not winning. It was just a matter of time to dispose him. If there is anything to be said about this season, perhaps this is – Maradona was not going to play for Barcelona much longer.
Athletic Bilbao finished with a double. The boys fought bravely and triumphed at the end. This was the 23rd Cup for Athletic, their first since 1973 and their first double after 1956. One may argue that the club had greater periods, but still this season could be considered their greatest ever, for things had changed dramatically after 1956: until then Bilbao was more or less equal to Madrid and Barcelona. Political pressure was applied in order to repress regional separatism, but it was equally disposed against Catalans and Basques and it did not always work. But after 1956 everything was different: Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid had huge amounts of money and left the other clubs far behind. To a point, Athletic Bilbao lost its position and became second-tier club. After 1956 they had to wait for a title until 1983. In this period – between 1956 and 1983 – only 2 clubs not from Madrid and Barcelona won the championship: Valencia in 1971 and Real Sociedad in 1981 and 1982. All the other years it was just Real, Barcelona, and Atletico. So, the double Athletic won in 1984 had historic significance: neither Valencia, nor Real Sociedad managed a double. Frankly, it looked impossible for a smaller club – there was no way to match the megastars of the big three clubs from 1956 on: it was mighty line from Di Stefano to Maradona. Thus, it was far more difficult to end with a double now than it was before 1956. Of course, it is not an absolute conclusion and can be argued against. It hardly matters for Athletic Bilbao, though – especially after the end of this season.
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